We're on a roll now with our country weeks. And good thing, because this week we learned that distance learning will continue for the remainder of the school year--another six weeks! We knew school wasn't coming back in person, but to hear the official announcement was difficult. Since we also don't know whether camps will be in session, it looks like this is our new norm for the foreseeable future. Thank goodness there are plenty of countries to explore! Next on our itinerary was Mexico!
We chose Mexico for this week because it coincided with Cinco de Mayo, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and the United States on the 5th of May. The holiday memorializes the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla over the French in 1862. Today, it is mostly celebrated by eating Mexican food and drinking Margaritas.
Crafts
We started our celebrations by making our own mini-pinatas using this tutorial. This was really easy and fun. And I had all the supplies on hand already--win! You need paper cups, construction paper, tissue paper, ribbon, a rubber band, and of course some candy or other treats. Here's the tutorial we used. I'll say that it was fun to make, but not super successful in getting the treats out on the first try. Still, we had fun and had some candy, so overall it was a win.
Culture
We read a lot of great books on Epic Kids (Zahara's school e-reading platform) about Mexican history and Cinco de Mayo. We also watched a fun video of kids meeting a luchador (Mexican wrestler). But my favorite part of this week was when we got to speak with my co-worker Monica who is Mexican. I asked if she would tell the kids a bit about her background, but she went above and beyond and created a PowerPoint presentation on Mexican history and culture! The coolest thing I learned was how many English words are based on one of the languages spoke in Mexico called Nahuatl. Words like avocado, cocoa, guacamole, chile and chocolate are just a few examples.
Food
Oh, man did we have fun with the food this week. Growing up in Texas gave me an appreciation for Mexican food--or at least Tex-Mex. Here was our menu for the week (recipes linked): chicken fajitas, homemade tortillas, Mexican rice, tacos, chilaquiles (a baked egg dish), elote (Mexican street corn), and churros! Obviously that was over the course of the week...not just one meal!
Making churros and tortillas was really fun. Both were surprisingly easy and SUPER delicious! I used margarine instead of lard in the tortilla, and it was perfect.
After a great week in Mexico, it was time to stamp our passports and head on to our next country: Russia!
See our other country weeks here.
We chose Mexico for this week because it coincided with Cinco de Mayo, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and the United States on the 5th of May. The holiday memorializes the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla over the French in 1862. Today, it is mostly celebrated by eating Mexican food and drinking Margaritas.
Crafts
We started our celebrations by making our own mini-pinatas using this tutorial. This was really easy and fun. And I had all the supplies on hand already--win! You need paper cups, construction paper, tissue paper, ribbon, a rubber band, and of course some candy or other treats. Here's the tutorial we used. I'll say that it was fun to make, but not super successful in getting the treats out on the first try. Still, we had fun and had some candy, so overall it was a win.
Culture
We read a lot of great books on Epic Kids (Zahara's school e-reading platform) about Mexican history and Cinco de Mayo. We also watched a fun video of kids meeting a luchador (Mexican wrestler). But my favorite part of this week was when we got to speak with my co-worker Monica who is Mexican. I asked if she would tell the kids a bit about her background, but she went above and beyond and created a PowerPoint presentation on Mexican history and culture! The coolest thing I learned was how many English words are based on one of the languages spoke in Mexico called Nahuatl. Words like avocado, cocoa, guacamole, chile and chocolate are just a few examples.
Food
Oh, man did we have fun with the food this week. Growing up in Texas gave me an appreciation for Mexican food--or at least Tex-Mex. Here was our menu for the week (recipes linked): chicken fajitas, homemade tortillas, Mexican rice, tacos, chilaquiles (a baked egg dish), elote (Mexican street corn), and churros! Obviously that was over the course of the week...not just one meal!
After a great week in Mexico, it was time to stamp our passports and head on to our next country: Russia!
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